


home is where the wifi connects automatically

by IvyPrincess



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cliche, Inspired by Novel, M/M, Polyamory, Romance, Video Game Mechanics, author has never been to korea and it shows, renjun finds everyone hot The Fic, wangyou - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21791431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyPrincess/pseuds/IvyPrincess
Summary: It's been years, but Renjun is finally ready to boot up the game he used to play. What he doesn't expect is for his online friends to still be there waiting for him, not after they parted on such bad terms. But wait, why do some of his classmates seem to know an awful lot about him...?
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 77
Kudos: 331





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on some Chinese webnovel tropes I see frequently. Enjoy! Thanks to Jessica and Alex for letting me rant <3

Seoul looks just familiar enough that it’s painful. The streets are maybe a little bit busier than Jilin, but the greenery is the exact same shade as the trees on his home campus, and everything is so saturated in color that it hurts Renjun’s eyes and heart. Maybe the buildings sprawl out a little more, but he supposes he’ll get used to it soon enough. He’s here for an entire year, after all.

One sight that truly mirrors his memories in China is the bustle of students scattering across the green, all wandering somewhere at various speeds, and Renjun hurries along a little faster, knowing he looks out of place with his battered suitcase. It’s too late in the semester for him to be a transfer, and his glasses make him look just old enough that he couldn’t be mistaken for a freshman, but he feels like one all the same. He’s completely lost. 

This is the third time Renjun’s circled past the tennis courts and even the players have noticed. Renjun’s scrolling through Google Maps in frustration once again, but the screech of the wire gate opening has him jolting to attention. There’s an older student staring back at him, friendly smile stretched across an unrealistically flawless face. 

“Hey, are you lost? I think I saw you here like five minutes ago.” His voice is deep, with a slight rasp that has Renjun flushing up to his ears despite the autumn weather. 

“Yeah,” he replies hesitantly. “Do you know where the undergraduate house is? I can’t seem to find it…” He trails off as the tennis player comes closer to peer at his phone. 

“Oh, that’s the new dorm,” the other man mutters, half to himself. “Yeah, it’s behind the engineering complex right near here, but Google Maps is going to keep making you walk the roads when you can just cut behind the building.” 

Renjun hums in understanding, ready to thank the kind stranger and walk off in the direction he had pointed out, but there’s a firm hand on his forearm, and he looks up. The other student is even more attractive up close, and Renjun almost immediately averts his eyes again. “I can walk you there, campus can get confusing,” the tennis player offers, flashing another heartstopping grin. “Just let me grab my stuff.” He quickly jogs back onto the court before Renjun can stammer out a refusal that no, thank you, he can get lost on his own just fine. The boy his stranger had been playing against, all dark hair and sharp, slanted eyes, seems to be staring at him as his stranger gestures towards him, a tennis racket slung over one shoulder. Renjun does his best to shrink back against the metal gate.

The guy is back. Does he ever stop smiling? Renjun’s not sure how much more of this he can take. 

“Oh yeah!” He abruptly turns back towards Renjun as he leads them both away from the tennis courts. “My name is Jaehyun, what’s yours?”

“Renjun. I’m a second-year exchange student from Jilin University.”

Jaehyun cocks his head to one side, considering. “Huh, I knew you couldn’t have been just a regular freshman. You’re coming in pretty late then, huh?” He flashes another gentle smile over his shoulder, soothing whatever bite his words might have had. It’s all Renjun can do to not trip over himself.

“I had to finish up some research, but the university let me move in late,” Renjun explains, careful to not let his luggage catch on the cobblestones. “No, you don’t have to-” His protests are useless as Jaehyun smoothly hoists his suitcase up the stairs. He even has the audacity to _wink_.

“Allow me.” Renjun fails to keep his eyes off those straining biceps. “So what kind of research did you do, Renjun?”

Renjun hums tonelessly as he tries to wrench his mind back from its catatonic state. “Ah, I’m a compsci major so it was just some software development stuff.” Casting around for a change in subject, Renjun notices just how many people are watching them pass by, and there’s even a handful of girls with their phone cameras pointed in their direction. Renjun hurries forward so he’s walking right next to Jaehyun, out of line of sight. He didn’t think he was _that_ conspicuous of a sight. Surely people here had seen luggage before. “Um, is it just me or are people staring at us?”

Jaehyun continues to stride confidently towards the nearest building, not even bothering to eye the other students gawking at them. “I’m a senior in the history department, so maybe it’s just weird for them to see a liberal arts major on this side of campus,” he replies breezily, but Renjun doesn’t think that _quite_ explains the crowd they’re amassing as they finally stop in front of the proper dorm. Well, it’s really none of his business, he supposes.

After a profuse bout of thanks from Renjun, Jaehyun finally departs with a cheery wave and a reluctant promise to let Renjun treat him to a meal sometime. Now all that’s left is for him to get up to his room and unpack and then take a fat nap, but Renjun doesn’t even get two steps into the imposingly large building before an unfamiliar arm is slung across his shoulder.

“Yo,” the boy hanging off of him greets cheerfully, chubby cheeks on prominent display from how hard he’s grinning. There’s something both friendly and predatory in his gaze, and Renjun does his best to resist the urge to run away. “How did new meat get here all buddy-buddy with _the_ Jung Jaehyun?”

“Hyuck, please don’t harass the new kid.” A long-suffering sigh is followed by a prompt removal of the boy latched onto his shoulder. The newcomer looks to be about the same age, with a mop of unruly blond hair and wide eyes that give him a perpetually surprised expression. He holds his hand out. “I’m Mark, the dorm rep on call right now. This is Donghyuck. Are you just moving in?”

Renjun nods, explaining his situation once again before getting to what he actually wanted to ask. “Why does everyone seem to know Jaehyun?” It would’ve been rude to ask the man himself, but Donghyuck’s already shown himself to be nosy, so Renjun has no qualms trying to pry. 

“You know the Jung Corporation? Yeah, _that_ Jung Corp? He’s their oldest son, but I don’t know if he wants to inherit the company.” Hyuck keeps up a bright commentary as they walk down the halls. “Girls have been trying to get their hooks into him because like, whatever happens, he still comes from money, right? Actually, he’s super smart, he’s top of the department and there’s grad schools just waiting to snap him up. And he’s nice, too! But he usually only hangs out with his little crowd of friends, so it’s wild that he acknowledged you on your first day here! Anyways you should know that…”

Renjun’s already started tuning his new companion out as Hyuck continues to alternate between chattering at and bickering with Mark. Just because he’s in Korea doesn’t mean he wanted to land himself in the middle of a kdrama. 

“...And here’s your room!” Donghyuck’s beaming, arms flung out wide to encompass his new lodgings. It’s a bright room with a large window, two bunk beds on opposite walls and a shared table space in the center of the room. For a four-person room, it’s rather generous, locker units in a corner, another door leading to what he assumes is a bathroom, and a refrigerator and microwave in the other corner. “The bunk under Mark’s is empty, and the rest of your boxes came in yesterday, so they’re all there. I’ll be right next door if you want to hang out!”

It’s a nice setup, but honestly Renjun just wants to pass out. He manages to unpack half his carry-on after the others leave and wrestle the sheets halfway onto his bed before losing the fight against his drooping eyelids and falling asleep.

* * *

He wakes up to sheer chaos and a whole lot of hollering. Suddenly, the number of people in the dorm have tripled, and they’re all crowded around Mark’s laptop screen at the table.

“Oh hi!” A tall boy grins energetically. “Sorry, did we wake you?” Renjun yawns, noticing that the sun seems to be setting. There’s a crick in his neck from curling up without his pillow.

“No, I needed to wake up around this time anyway. Nice to meet you…?” Renjun trails off.

“Wong Yukhei! But you can call me Lucas.” The brunet thrusts a hand out, enthusiastically shaking Renjun’s entire body. “I’m also in the exchange program, I go to HKU!”

“He’s also one of your new roommates,” Hyuck calls out dryly from where he’s perched on the arm of Mark’s chair. “Can’t believe he forgot to mention the most important part.”

Renjun can’t help but laugh as Lucas goes off whining to Hyuck. They’re all a lively bunch. Guanheng and Yangyang are Donghyuck’s roommates, and the sleepy blond nodding off over a book in the corner, Dejun, is the last inhabitant of Renjun’s room. 

“Hey, Renjun, you want to join us?” Yangyang pipes up, tilting his computer screen over so Renjun can see without craning his already-sore neck. “We’re playing the new Rage of Gods update!”

Renjun tilts his head in confusion, wincing as it strains against his muscles again. “Rage of Gods? Never heard of it.”

Mark gapes at him. “It’s been like the most popular MMORPG for the past decade, how have you not heard of it?”

“Oh wait,” Guanheng interjects. “I think the name translated to something different in Chinese, but I always ended up playing on the Korean servers anyways umm…”

“Ah!” Lucas snaps his fingers. “It’s called Heaven’s Fury!” 

Renjun startles, suddenly alert. “Fury still exists? I stopped playing years ago.” He refuses to think about why he quit.

“Yeah!” This time, Hyuck responds. “The next update comes out next week and it’s supposed to be a massive overhaul of the game mechanics and graphics, and there are rumors going around that it’s even going to be open world, so these fools are trying to finish all their incomplete quests before the system updates.” 

Heaven’s Fury, as one of the earliest published online games of its generation, has had a few flaws that developers never bothered to adjust, and one of these is the quest system. There’s a maximum limit set on the number of quests a player can simultaneously accept, which always leads to a bustle of server activity right before events as users frantically try to finish all the linked quests they had been putting off. Procrastination is human nature, after all, even when playing games. Renjun wants to mourn every time he thinks of how many limited-edition items he’s lost out on because he forgot to clear his quest list.

“You wanna play with us, Renjun?” Mark asks, and Renjun is about to accept the invitation when his phone pings.

[unknown number]

**Hi, is this Renjun?**

**Who is this?**

**It’s Jaehyun :) I got your number from the student directory. Can you take a call right now?**

Hyuck, who’s been peeping over his shoulder the entire time, all but screeches. “Jung Jaehyun is going to _call_ you right now?” The other boys’ idle chatter dies down as they all turn to stare, computer games long forgotten. 

Renjun flushes and hurries to the bathroom for a little bit of privacy, texting back a quick affirmative. The phone rings promptly as he sits down on the covered toilet seat, leg jiggling nervously. “Hello?”

“Hey Renjun.” Jaehyun’s voice is just as soothing as it was in person. “I actually wanted to call and see how you had settled in, maybe ask if you wanted to grab dinner in an hour or so? I know you wanted to treat me to a meal but my number isn’t in the directory and I’m not sure you’ve scoped out any restaurants in the area yet. If you’re busy or tired tonight though, we can always reschedule, there’s no rush.”

Renjun flushes, gripping the phone tighter to his ear as he willfully ignores the sudden silence from outside the bathroom door. His new roommates are definitely trying to eavesdrop, and even if he turns Jaehyun down, they’ll probably just be nosy the rest of the night. “I’m free!” He squeaks out, his voice cracking. Oh god, that’s embarrassing. “I’m free,” he repeats, clearing his throat and eyeing the bathroom door, which is trembling ominously. Renjun wonders how many of them are pressed up against it. “Thanks for checking up on me, I’d love to grab dinner, but please let me pay?”

Jaehyun chuckles. “Alright. Does hotpot sound good? It’s going to be pretty chilly tonight, and I know a place.”

“Yes!” Renjun’s stomach chooses this moment to growl, and he prays Jaehyun can’t hear it over the phone.

“Fantastic.” Jaehyun’s smile is audible. “I’ll pick you up at 7 then. See you in a bit!”

“Bye,” Renjun replies dazedly before stumbling out of the bathroom. The other boys are studiously looking down, settled in their original spots, but Dejun’s book is upside down and Guanheng is wincing as one of his legs is trapped under Lucas’s foot in his “casual” pose. None of them are slick.

Donghyuck, of course, isn’t even pretending he doesn’t want to know. “Well?” He demands, ignoring Mark tugging at the hem of his sweater to sit down, Hyuck, please. “Did you score a hot date?” And Renjun flushes more because okay _yeah_ , Jaehyun is devastatingly handsome and apparently one hell of a catch, but he’s 90% sure this is platonic and _besides_ , he needs to settle in at school before anything can happen.

The other boys, however, take his silence as confirmation and immediately whoop in celebration. Renjun is quickly shoved back into the bathroom to shower as the other boys try to piece together a decent outfit. He can hear the yells even when the water’s running and wonders how none of them have gotten a noise complaint yet. Oh wait, Mark is the floor rep… That explained a lot, actually.

Renjun emerges from the bathroom to find Lucas hogtied using someone’s flannels and Dejun perched on his butt, shaking his head yes or no at shirts that Guanheng is busy flinging out of the closet. Renjun is immediately whisked off to get stabbed in the eye by Donghyuck, but by the time he fights the eyeliner off, he’s all made up and his skin has never looked better. 

It’s almost like a movie transformation, the way a pair of his jeans and an oversized sweater (“that’s Mark’s and I want it back”) are tossed at his face. (Mark’s spluttering is ignored, as it always is.) He gets in a quick glance at the mirror right before his vision is obscured by a cloud of hairspray, but overall, he looks amazing. His roommates have some kind of skill. He doesn’t look terribly different, at least not at first glance, but he can tell whatever they did to his face has sharpened his gaze and softened his skin, added a little bit of color to his cheeks and lips. He looks _good_. He’s not going to tell Hyuck though, the boy looks smug enough already. 

By the time he’s stumbling down the front steps, silently touched by the lengths his new friends went for him (even if it was partly motivated by the need for gossip), he’s almost completely forgotten that oh god, he’s meeting the heir of a chaebol for dinner. 

* * *

“Jen, did Jaehyun contact you again about the sponsorship?” Jaemin calls down, leg hooked over the side of the couch and swinging aimlessly. He’s bored, and there’s only so much scrolling through social media he can stand.

The dark-haired boy in question is sitting at his desk, jotting notes down as he glances over at his laptop. “Nope, hyung said he got invited out to hotpot by some underclassman, so he’s busy tonight.”

Now this causes Jaemin to lean over. “An underclassman? That none of us know? And hyung actually agreed to go?”

Jeno shrugs, still occupied with whatever strategies he’s plotting out for next week’s stream. “Apparently Jaehyun-hyung was being nice and helped a new exchange student out and they insisted on treating him. Doie-hyung says he wishes _his_ underclassmen were as respectful.”

Jaemin, Kim Doyoung’s only mentee, snorts. “When Doyoung gives me a raise, then maybe I’ll be able to afford the restaurants he likes to eat at,” the pink-haired boy shoots back, ignoring Jeno’s mutters about how they make more than enough money from streaming alone. “Wait.” He shoots up straight. “Exchange student? It’s the middle of the semester. Didn’t the exchange students move in a long time ago?”

Jeno hums absentmindedly, but Jaemin’s mind is whirling a mile a minute. He’s ahead on the little schoolwork he actually has, and he knows for a fact Jeno doesn’t need to start working on strategies for the combat challenge yet, so they could maybe… hm, yes. Anything to satisfy his curiosity. Jaemin hops down from his seat, slinking forwards to wrap himself around his boyfriend.

“Jeno, baby,” he lilts sweetly, resting his head on top of Jeno’s and rocking them slowly from side to side. “Why don’t we go out for dinner tonight?” 

Jeno pauses. “They have peach cake in the dining hall tonight. You love peach cake.” Jaemin curses his sudden attentiveness.

“Nooo I want to eat something spicy tonight! It’s getting colder these days~” He whines, pouting prettily even though Jeno can’t see him. He’s pretty sure Jeno won’t fall for his dastardly plan, but he’s hoping he gives in anyways.

Jeno snorts lightly. “Like hotpot?” He teases. 

Jaemin’s grin widens. “ _Exactly_ like hotpot.”

* * *

Jaehyun is as cheerful as he had been when they met, seemingly unbothered by the cold, and he smoothly opens the car door for Renjun, who slides in pretending he doesn’t see people literally hanging out the windows of the upper floors to gawk. The drive to the eatery is short but not unpleasant, Jaehyun asking after Renjun and supplying some basic information about the area around campus. Renjun slowly forgets his nerves and starts to enjoy himself, too. 

Jaehyun is a wonderful conversationalist and carries himself with a poise that Renjun envies, but there’s a more playful side that Renjun suspects he doesn’t show to most people. He’s a little overwhelmed by the luxury of both Jaehyun’s company and his car, but he cherishes the idea that Jaehyun is comfortable enough to unmask himself at least a little in front of Renjun.

The restaurant is tiny, boisterous in a way that made it clear the alcohol was flowing well, but it smells of anise and chili oil, and Renjun melts into the warmly nostalgic scent like the meat they’re about to cook.

Jaehyun asks a lot of questions about Renjun’s life back in China, his eyes crinkling at every story Renjun tells in a way that makes it clear how much attention he’s paying. Renjun tells him about his extended family, his bilingual upraising, his favorite things about Lunar New Year. In return, he hears from Jaehyun himself about traveling the world as a child, his quiet passion for cooking, his studies that take him into obscure books.

Jaehyun is an insightful person, Renjun finds out, and it doesn’t take long for him to bring up the pygmy elephant in the room. “I’m sure you’ve probably heard a lot about my reputation at this point, Renjun?”

Renjun nods, eyes focused on the sauce he’s mixing in his bowl. “You’re pretty famous, huh?”

Jaehyun chuckles. “Not as much for anything I’ve personally done, I’m sure. I know people are waiting to find out if I plan on inheriting my father’s company.” Renjun’s mouth quirks up at a corner. That seems to be all Jaehyun wants to say on the matter, and Renjun wouldn’t think of prying. “Well,” Jaehyun continues. “I hope you know that if you need anything, whether it’s advice or something else, you can be comfortable coming to me."

Renjun looks up, and his smile this time is smaller but just as real. “Thanks, hyung. But, why me?”

Jaehyun gazes back steadily. “Something about you reminds me of my partner.” Renjun picks up on the hint of a stutter, as if he’s not used to saying those words. _Partner_ , he had said. It’s a conscious choice to use that word. Not girlfriend, or fiancee… But before he can muse more on those implications, Jaehyun makes eye contact with something behind Renjun and heaves a deep sigh. “It looks like I have a pair of little shadows who tagged along today.” Jaehyun smiles ruefully, but his eyes sparkle with mischief. “Renjun, would you like to meet some of the students in your year?”

Renjun doesn’t have time to process before Jaehyun is calling out at someone behind him. “Yah, Jeno! Jaemin! You might as well join us!” _Two_ someones.

* * *

 _Oh_ , Jaehyun’s new friend is so much prettier than Jaemin expected. And better company, too. Jaemin had been envisioning yet another gold-digging skank that he and Jeno would have to politely intimidate away, because whoever tries to target Jaehyun can either deal with 2 underclassmen who are willing to leave a reputation intact when they sweetly warn a bitch away, or Kim Doyoung himself, who wields legal and financial power as easily as he breathes. Expulsion would be the least of one’s concerns after a run-in with the devil himself.

But Huang Renjun doesn’t seem the type to need a warning of any kind away from Jaehyun’s, well, virtue _might_ not be the right term anymore, not after what Jeno accidentally walked in on last week. The exchange student isn’t posturing at all, his tired slump into the back of his chair belying his authenticity. He’s not trying to impress anybody, and, well, maybe that’s what impresses Jaemin most of all. 

No amount of dolling up can hide the eye bags Jaemin _knows_ are under that concealer, but his new classmate is gorgeous and seemingly oblivious of it, long lashes downcast shyly at being overwhelmed with new faces. Jaemin smirks, not unkindly, as Jaehyun introduces them (“absolute brats, the both of them, please don’t ever act like them Renjun”), Jeno’s gaze thoughtful as he stares at their new acquaintance. So he’s in agreement, then. They both want to get to know this Renjun better.

* * *

Renjun wonders if it’s a rule somewhere that Jaehyun’s friend group has to be collectively the most attractive people he’s ever seen, including celebrities in the gossip rags his aunties were so fond of. His mind wanders back to Jaehyun’s tennis partner from earlier in the day. Even the short glimpse he had caught of that person was enough to let him know just how striking that man was. Renjun busies himself with snagging another piece of beef, stuffing his face and letting the newcomers’ banter wash over him.

“-of course Doyoung told Jeno, and Jeno told me, and you really thought I wasn’t going to be nosy?” The pink-haired boy is whining, clinging to Jaehyun’s arm all mock-besotted and full pouty lips. 

Na Jaemin is intimidatingly pretty, and even if his hair hadn’t been so colorful, Renjun knows he still would’ve outshone every room he ever walked into. Despite the airs he puts on, Renjun hadn’t been oblivious of the serious onceover Jaemin had given him as soon as they walked over, but he seems friendly enough, and kind at heart, if the soft gaze he’s been giving Jeno is any indication. Renjun indignantly wonders if he’s been dismissed as harmless, then contemplates if gaining Jaemin’s attention would be something that he could actually survive. Such a strong gaze, no matter the intention… Renjun is suddenly glad that his blush can’t deepen any further.

As Jaemin is loud and exuberant, Lee Jeno is his equal but opposite in every way. Whereas Jaemin had given him a single glance and then honed in on annoying Jaehyun, Renjun is sure Jeno has been subtly staring at him since before he was aware of his presence. 

“Have we met before?” Jeno quietly asks, his question barely audible over the hubbub of the restaurant. 

Renjun shakes his head. “I don’t think so?” He’s sure he would’ve remembered someone like him. Jeno is unforgettable, with eyes that crinkle into little half-moons at Jaehyun and Jaemin’s antics and a warm laugh that feels like homemade broth running down Renjun’s spine. He wants to crawl into that smile and fall asleep, nestle between those stalwart shoulders, and it’s _embarrassing_ how aware he is of the inch of space between their shoulders.

Jeno hums noncommittally, leaning over the table to toss a napkin at Jaemin. “Jaehyun said you were majoring in compsci, right? I’m more into game dev, but maybe we’ve seen each other at hackathons or something.” Renjun shrugs in agreement. It’s not like he remembers every acquaintance he’s made at one of those competitions, but something tells him that wasn’t it.

It’s nice to sit back and watch an established dynamic, Renjun thinks sleepily, belly sated and brain about to power down for a nap. Jaemin and Jeno needle Jaehyun in turns, and Renjun watches as the older student’s facade cracks in front of his cherished juniors. Happiness is a good look on him. 

His yearmates don’t exclude him from their antics either, Jeno somehow finagling the embarrassing story of Renjun losing his first baby teeth out of him, Jaemin offering him opportunities to make a wisecrack at Jaehyun, and he’s just so enamored with both of them.

Jeno offers to drive Renjun back, and between his puppy eyes and Jaemin’s coaxing, Renjun accepts defeat and lets them take him home. Jaehyun lives off-campus, whereas Jeno and Jaemin are slightly closer in an apartment-style complex on campus.

“It was really nice to meet you,” Jaemin beams, leaning halfway out the car window as Renjun gets ready to head inside. “Let’s see more of each other soon, okay Injunnie?” Renjun nods firmly, sending one last smile over his shoulder. 

* * *

He comes back to a quiet dorm, only Mark awake and studying under a desk lamp. He nods in acknowledgement as Renjun changes for bed, gesturing towards the opposite bunk where a vague tangle of limbs can be seen. “They wanted to wait up for you,” he whispers, an affectionate smirk crooking up a corner of his mouth. “Couldn’t make it, though.”

Renjun yawns. “They can bug me in the morning then. Good night, Mark.”

“Night, Renjun.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which renjun opens a digital can of worms that will bite him in the butt later

It’s been a few weeks, and Renjun honestly can’t say he’s explored much since that eventful first day in Korea. All of his boxes have been unpacked, clothes and papers and knickknacks slowly interwoven into the preexisting chaos of his new home. His new roommates are friendly but busy, and Mark had confessed that he had forced the others to clean before Renjun had moved in so he wouldn’t go running back to China. The dorm is slowly approaching maximum levels of messy, and Renjun wonders whether Lucas would mind if he started doing his laundry, too.

Renjun is once again ahead on all his classwork, and Seoul is still a bit too intimidating for him to go out and explore the areas around campus. Bored to tears, he had even tried picking up one of those paperbacks Dejun was so fond of, only to find his roommate had been burying his nose in thinly-veiled erotica this entire time. Now _there’s_ a vice he won’t touch with a ten-foot pole.

He’s almost tempted to ask if the boys next door want to hang out, but Mark and Donghyuck are currently having one of their legendary spats (consisting of three days of silent treatment, after which the two of them alternate trading profuse apologies in increasingly sappy ways) over some in-game slight, and Renjun isn’t stupid enough to want to get in the middle of that. He groans. Might as well drag his ass out of bed and down to the canteen to grab a snack or something. 

By the time he’s finally gotten back, arms filled with takeout containers of kimchi jjigae, Lucas is sitting at the main table, headphones in and tapping intently at his laptop. Renjun slides into the seat next to him, unpacking his food. 

“NO!” Lucas suddenly howls, ripping off his headphones in frustration. Renjun starts, his roommate’s yell causing him to drop his spoon into the stew. “Oh shit sorry Renjun,” Lucas babbles, pushing his laptop back and grabbing a napkin to dab at the spills. 

“It’s fine,” Renjun replies serenely, grabbing a pair of chopsticks and gingerly fishing his spoon out. “Did something bad happen in-game?”

Lucas chuckles sheepishly. “Uh, just lost a match in Fury again. I know you said last time that you quit, but did you want to play with us sometime? It’d be fun to hang out with you more since we don’t have any classes together.” The taller boy is studying business in preparation for taking over his family’s company back in Hong Kong, and Renjun knows he’s already made quite a few waves in his department. With such an honest face and kind personality, paired with the exotic transience of his status as an exchange student, even some of the girls in Renjun’s classes whisper about him. Lucas beams, and Renjun decides that maybe those girls were onto something. He gives in almost immediately.

“I’d love to, but I don’t think my laptop can handle the graphics of the update,” Renjun confesses. Maybe he should upgrade his specs, now that he’s ahead in all his classes again, but he’s a cheap bastard and components are always expensive. If it works, then he’s never thought of buying a better part.

Lucas blinks. “Oh you didn’t hear? The update got delayed because one of the servers crashed recently and the game devs have been trying to prop it up, so who knows when the new release will drop.”

Renjun hums noncommittally. “I’ll have time to order a new graphics card then.”

Lucas’s grin widens, and Renjun hopes he’s only envisioning the puppy tail wagging furiously behind him. “You can always borrow my laptop to try it out, too!”

Someone knocks on the door rapidly. “Yo,” Donghyuck hisses, only half his head appearing from behind the door. “Is Mark here?” 

“No, Mark went home for the weekend.”

“Oh. Good.” Hyuck fidgets in the doorway for a brief second before rushing over to rummage through Mark’s drawers.

Renjun watches bemusedly as his neighbor blatantly steals a handful of Mark’s hoodies, cramming multiple into his backpack before jamming the last one over his head. Hyuck notices him smirking and flushes guiltily. “I-I’m just cold! And Mark deserves to have his clothes stolen for being an ass.”

Renjun’s grin widens. This isn’t the first time Hyuck’s come in like this. “I didn’t say anything.”

Hyuck scoffs, about to reply, when Lucas’s laptop catches his eye. “Dude, you two were playing Fury without me?” He pulls up a chair, stolen loot forgotten. After their first explanation of the game to Renjun, the boys had all started referring to the game by its Chinese nickname. As Yangyang had explained, it sounded a lot cooler.

Lucas shrugs. “Unless you want to repeat an old quest line, we finished the last party quests for our levels two nights ago, remember? It’s gonna take a bit of grinding before we’re ready for the next dungeon.”

Hyuck heaves his own laptop onto the table. “Fine by me, I’ve got nothing better to do.”

Lucas turns back to Renjun, scooting his console a little closer. “You wanna try?”

Renjun hesitates. It’s one thing to plan a gaming session, but quite another to actually log in on an account he hasn’t touched in four years. But… the chances of _them_ still playing so many years later are low, right? Renjun decides that he’s probably unlikely to come across them, and so he pulls Lucas’s laptop towards him, leaning forward to squint at the screen.

* * *

Jeno blinks. Squints a little harder. His heart begins to race because there’s no way that _he’s_ online again. Not after so many years. Does he call Jaemin? Should he message him? Does he even still remember him? Jeno can’t even begin to think of how he’d feel if he lost him again. He can’t let it happen again.

* * *

Renjun can’t let this happen again. Lucas is howling on the ground in laughter, and Renjun wishes the aircon could be turned up even more because his face is flaming. “Shut up! It’s not that funny! I was twelve!”

“Y-your username,” the taller boy wheezes. “Really? MoominLover?” Renjun hisses in embarrassment. He’d been twelve, okay?

“Ey, you’re not bad though, for someone who hasn’t played in a million years.” Hyuck has scooted a chair over to sit on his other side.

“I don’t want to hear that from someone who tripped over a raid boss last week,” Renjun ripostes. Just because he doesn’t play the game anymore doesn’t mean he can’t hear their yelling when the boys have their late night sessions together in the room. It’s interfered with his sleep enough times, that’s for sure. (He refuses to acknowledge that it’s for the better, that he sleeps easier to the sound of friendly laughter from people he knows he can trust.)

Even though it’s been so many years since Renjun last played, it’s easy to pick up where he left off. Muscle memory has him smoothly clicking through his character profile to his inventory and equips. His Rogue is terribly underleveled, level 40 to the other boys’ 75, but picking an unpopular class and an equally uncommon subclass meant his friends were more intrigued by his class build than set on laughing at him.

Heaven’s Fury was a game that had stayed popular for almost a decade despite its outdated graphics because of its unique gameplay and equally unique mechanics. Unlike the majority of MMORPGs that had come out at around the same time, Fury only had four possible classes a beginning player could choose from, and any variation in gameplay came not from the standard skillset that came with the character, but an infinite number of items and skill books that the game could spawn. 

Renjun’s choice to play as Rogue was uncommon enough, as its baseline low defense stat was pretty useless in boss fights and some of the upper-level dungeons, and there were only a handful of Rogues ranked for PVP. Even Rangers, with equally terrible defense but better speed, could last longer in solo fights, but Renjun liked the first weapons he had equipped, dual-wield knives that secondary effects could be equipped to, and he never partook in PK anyways. 

Having such vague class restrictions that could be specialized any which way encouraged players to go out and seek equipment on their own, providing an innovative way to customize a character in exact detail, _if_ the players knew where to get the items they wanted, but Fury had a massive fan-built wiki that was constantly updated with fresh data. A continuous production of one-of-a-kind items and weapons in the game itself meant that players stayed interested in new events and quests, and the self-regulating algorithm meant that the power balance between items spawned and those yet to appear didn’t screw over older players too much.

There was just so much that could be explored, so many secrets that players had yet to discover.

Back when Renjun had last played Fury, his character had been maxed out, but that was years ago, and characters could level up to 100 now. Renjun sighed, hand stalling on the mouse, as he realized just how far behind he was. 

“Damn, you’re actually so weak.” Donghyuck peers over Renjun’s other shoulder, sneaking bites of his lunch as he watches Renjun refamiliarize himself with the controls. “We wouldn’t even be able to help you level.” While Fury did have a system where players could tag along with another, mirroring the second’s moves and thus gaining experience indirectly, this function didn’t work for players that had a difference of more than ten levels, a range that Renjun and his roommates were greatly out of. His friends list dings.

For a second, a shock of electricity races down his spine, and he breathes in sharply. The other two are oblivious to his sudden panic, though.

“Yo, who’s this guy?” Lucas peers at the corner of the screen before he starts snickering. “Swagmasterlele? Is that username real?” 

Renjun sighs in relief and mild exasperation as another round of bell chimes sound in succession. “That’s my cousin, who definitely shouldn’t be online right now,” he explains for the peanut gallery. “He’s got exams soon, for fuck’s sake.” He clicks on the incoming messages.

**ge?**

**is it actually u**

**did u get hacked**

**stay where u are, i’m coming right now =3=**

Soon enough, another player teleports on-screen into the clearing Renjun had logged into, immediately starting to pull all kinds of ridiculous poses. Renjun sighs again, tugging out the headphones of Lucas’s computer and turning the volume down multiple degrees before finally clicking on the party invite. Player-to-player communication was a longstanding feature in the game, useful for party quests and guild wars, and Renjun often used it just to call Chenle years ago, the two boys chatting about school and the like while they grinded together.

“You can stop dabbing now, Chenle,” Renjun calls out wryly. “Don’t you have exams soon?”

“Renjun-ge!” Comes the answering cheer, crackly with static. “Heh, or is it hyung now?” His character is running circles around Renjun’s.

Renjun grins. It’s only been a few months at most, but he’s missed his baby cousin. “Answer my question, brat.”

“Exams were last week,” Chenle whines, petulant tone jarring against the absolutely massive Viking avatar. “What are _you_ doing online anyway? I thought you quit for good in high school anyways, after those-”

Renjun leans back in his chair as Lucas surges forward to grab the mouse and start checking out Chenle’s stats. “My roommates convinced me to log in again,” he interrupts, loathe to discuss what had happened in the past. “Lucas and Donghyuck are here, say hi, you two.”

“Hi you two,” Hyuck parrots through a mouthful of stew as Lucas enthusiastically greets Chenle back.

Renjun glares playfully. “You gonna finish my lunch off for me now?” 

His roommate blinks back innocently, swallowing another spoonful before scooping up another. “Of course not, I was going to feed you. Say ahh~” Hyuck singsongs, feeding Renjun by hand.

Lucas and Chenle have been chatting up a storm. As Thor subclasses, the two have a lot in common, even if Lucas plays mage and Chenle wields an axe. Renjun sighs, watching fondly as Lucas insists on friending Chenle.

“Yo, uh, Renjun, mind if I play a couple rounds with your cousin?” Lucas grins sheepishly. “He’s got a really different build and I wanna see if our buffs can stack-” 

Renjun waves a hand dismissively, cutting him off. “Yeah go ahead, it’s your computer and everything, just log me out.” It’s nice to see two of the most outgoing people he knows get along so quickly. 

There’s a small smile on his face as he wrestles Hyuck for the last of his lunch. Maybe he _will_ download Fury again.

* * *

Jeno is about to delete Fury from his computer entirely. “No, he logged off again,” he moans, phone pinched between his ear and shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” Jaemin croons sleepily back. “If he’s logged on once, he’ll log on again. We’ll be able to talk to him again soon, hm?”

Jeno stares at his reflection in the black of the monitor. “Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

“Jen-baby, it’s like 7am here already,” Jaemin yawns. “I had to be up soon anyways, pit’s been setting up since the crack of dawn even though the race is tomorrow.”

“Yeah, well.” He smiles warmly even though there’s no one there to see it. “Never too early to miss you.”

“My, what a flirt,” Jaemin replies coquettishly, as if he wasn’t a greasier flirt and worse than Jeno. He can almost hear the feathery bat of those long lashes through the phone.

“Only for you,” Jeno shoots back cheekily, an affectionate grin stretching his face.

“And maybe him,” Jaemin reminds softly. “If he gives us a chance to explain.”

Jeno breathes in. Jaemin’s right. _If_. “Yeah. It’s time to confess everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i'm late but merry christmas! thought i'd get this chapter out in time for the holidays, but it's so short OTL i've been sick and wrote half of it high on cold meds 
> 
> much much much thanks to rosyinnie for proofreading a massive chunk of of my notes and dealing with my chaotic spam <3 this chapter (and the continuation of this fic tbh) wouldn't be here without you!
> 
> chapter 3 will be up as soon as i can get it to make up for how short this one is...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which renjun gets screwed over by many things but mostly jeno. it's all jeno's fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the author would like to disclaim any knowledge of video games, university, technology, and basically just life in general. this is a work of fiction but i should probably still apologize for the amount of handwave-y computer bullshit you're about to experience.

Okay, so maybe logging back in to Heaven’s Fury might have been the worst mistake of Renjun’s life. To be fair, it was also shaping up to the best fun he’s had in years. He’s forgotten how stress-relieving it could be to just let loose on some virtual monsters and let magic brush away all his negative thoughts, even if the fear that his old friends could message him again creeped at the edge of every session. He knows they’re still active, has seen their usernames light up in his friends list often enough, but they never once tried to message him, and he most definitely never wants to contact them again. With every shriek of victory and every mindless grinding session, Renjun finds himself falling in love all over again, ironically enough. Even the other boys are slightly taken aback by his renewed fervor. 

“So, uh, Renjun.” A hand comes down on his shoulder to the chorus of a bunch of hissed whispers behind his head. Apparently it’s Mark’s turn to play concerned parent. “Have you slept in the past like, two days?”

Renjun hums vaguely in reply, still clicking sluggishly through a murky forest on the hunt for… some item he foggily remembers needing for… something. The hand on his shoulder has moved to his neck, squeezing slightly at the base before relaxing and squeezing again, and Renjun goes slack at the impromptu massage. _Damn Mark Lee and his stupidly useful knowledge of pressure points_ , Renjun hisses bitterly in his head, but outwardly all he does is groan and nudge against his fingers more. 

“I know you’ve been ditching classes, but give the game a break and get some sleep, okay? I’ll log you out.” He can hear the smile in Mark’s voice as someone, probably Guanheng, shuffles him off the short distance to the nearest bunk. Renjun promptly teeters forward and collapses onto the sheets, too tired to even wriggle around and make himself more comfortable. 

Behind him, Yangyang lets out a low whistle. “Damn, he’s almost caught up to our levels? Is that even possible?”

The last thought Renjun has before passing out is a smug one. He didn’t memorize all those secret dungeons for nothing. It was good to be back. 

* * *

“You’re back!” Jeno is still pacing when a weary Jaemin shuffles himself through the door with a herd of suitcases. “You’re on break for a few weeks now, right?”

The older of the two rushes forward to nudge the last wheel in and shut the door before sweeping his boyfriend up in a massive hug. 

Jaemin can’t resist an answering smile, one so wide that Jeno almost ends up kissing his teeth. “Hi babe,” he breathes out, hands coming up to cup Jeno’s face. As exciting as his internship gets, nothing beats the comfort of just being able to fall into Jeno’s arms after a long flight back. “Wearing another hole into the carpet?” He teases.

“You know I can’t stop worryi- mmph,” Jeno tries to apologize sheepishly before Jaemin cuts him off with another kiss.

“Hey.” Jaemin presses their foreheads together, still riding the high of reuniting with his boyfriend after a long weekend apart. “We’re going to figure it out together, okay?” He had asked Jeno to not do anything rash until they were both there to explain, but now there were only a handful of races left until the beginning of the next year, they had time to figure out what they were going to do.

Jeno huffs a silent laugh out in the marginal space between them, squeezing one arm tighter around his waist. Without Jaemin in the country, it’s like half of him has been missing, but now he can finally think straight again. “I can’t wait.”

* * *

Renjun fidgets as he waits impatiently outside the lecture hall. It’s a brisk autumn morning, but his hair is still slightly damp and the walk across campus was almost miserable because of it. He sneezes quietly as he crosses one leg over the other, then uncrosses. He’s got places to be, but this meeting was too important to pass up. 

Luckily, he doesn’t have to wait too long as a modelesque woman slips through the classroom doors, smiling at Renjun when she notices him. “Sorry for the wait, Renjun, the proctors took a while to set up. Let’s head down to my office now, shall we?”

Professor Victoria Song has been a massive help in Renjun’s late transition into SNU and one of his primary reasons for studying here in the first place. He lamented not being able to actually attend her class, since the interactive course material and hands-on instructor meant that he wouldn’t be able to catch up once he actually moved in, but he’s glad she’s at least letting him conduct his own research for class credit. Professor Song’s advances in artificial intelligence had won her academic notoriety and a tenured seat at a vastly younger age than her coworkers. Renjun is still a little starstruck as he trips down the stairs behind her.

“Well,” Professor Song begins after they’re both seated. “I read through your drafted proposal, and it is _very_ intriguing.”

Renjun flushes with pride. “Thank you.”

“However,” Professor Song arches an eyebrow. “Don’t think I’m not aware of how closely this aligns with the processor designs you worked on at Jilin.” Before Renjun can stammer his way through a rebuttal, because she’s _right_ , it _is_ similar to his older projects, she continues. 

“While your ideas are feasible enough that I would normally approve this immediately, I know that you’re capable of quite a bit more, and I’d like to push you beyond your limits.” She smiles as she pushes his paper back towards him, tapping the pages with one finger. “Your proposal to create a faster processor is stunning in its breadth, but I’d like to see the results in a more realistic format than just inaccessible raw data.” She doesn’t sound visibly disappointed, but Renjun flushes with guilt regardless.

Professor Song had sponsored his transfer to Seoul, and apparently the reason he had caught her eye in the first place was because of an essay he had impulsively sent in at the last minute. Well, Renjun calls it an essay, but it was really more of a thinly-veiled rant on the far-reaching consequences of burying scientific developments in unintelligible jargon. Regardless, it, along with his own academic achievements, was enough for the professor to personally reach out to him, and he understands why she expects more from him. He shifts in his seat, contrite as he remembers how he assumed he’d be able to slack off in order to game more.

The fact that her eyes are still twinkling kindly is the only reason Renjun hasn’t bolted out of the room yet. “Since I’m already certain you’ll manage to achieve significant results somehow, I’m more interested in how the processor you develop will be used in a practical demonstration.” She clearly already had a specific demonstration in mind.

“One of my star students is currently developing a video game as an extra credit passion project,” she explains, and Renjun’s thoughts comes to a screeching halt in confusion at the non sequitur. “He’s having difficulties getting his ambitious programs in a viewable format, and I think your processor could be the very solution he’s looking for. Perhaps a working demo would be something you both could collaborate on…?”

Renjun isn’t… _averse_ , per se, to working on this with other people, especially when Professor Song’s rebutting proposal means that he technically wouldn’t have to deal much with the other student until they put the final thing together, but it’s also not exactly what he had envisioned at first.

Professor Song must notice his trepidation because her smile widens as she sweetens the deal. “If the finished project is as good as I think it can be, I’m sure the Honors Symposium wouldn’t mind squeezing in another presentation, even if you’re only sophomores.” She chuckles at Renjun’s sharp intake of breath as his mind starts racing again. 

SNU’s annual symposium is the most prestigious convention of its kind this side of the Pacific, with undergraduate students from all over the world vying to show off in front of investors and various academic leaders. Walking away from your seminar with a business card basically guarantees a jumpstart to a successful career. Renjun had dreamed for years of only attending and rubbing elbows with the intellectual elite, let alone actually _presenting_ an inquiry.

But… “Who is the other student that I’d be working with?” Renjun prays it’s someone as avid about this opportunity as he is.

Professor Song begins to reply, but a muted knock at the door interrupts before she can respond. “Oh, that must be him now. Come in!”

“Sorry I’m late, Professor!” Lee Jeno’s voice is as quietly confident as ever, settling in Renjun’s bones like he’s sinking into the hot springs, and suddenly the room feels too stuffy as Jeno walks in, despite how he had plainly been shivering earlier. 

“You made the exam extra hard this time just to stall me, huh?” Jeno’s smile is playful as he banters with Professor Song, eyes disappearing into cheerful curves before finally landing on his yearmate. 

Their professor scoffs, not unkindly. “Of course you blazed through it in half the time given anyways.” There’s a smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she playfully scolds him. Clearly, she and Jeno are familiar enough that mutual respect between student and teacher has sweetened into genuine closeness.

“And I see we meet again, Renjun!” Now, that lovely attention is turned full force on Renjun, who can only mumble something back, trying not to draw scrutiny to how red his face is.

Jeno had been hard enough to face in the dimly lit bustle of the hotpot place, in the presence of equally gorgeous company, let alone now, when he’d swept in wearing that tailored coat like some modern-day fairytale prince, and oh wow Renjun’s imagination is running wild again. It’s difficult for Renjun not to sink down further in his seat knowing he must look like a street rat in some old hoodie and worn jeans. At least he had showered this morning after Mark had physically hauled him out of that gaming binge.

“Oh, you two already know each other?” Professor Song leans back, mild surprise crossing her features.

Jeno winks at Renjun. “We’ve met, yes.” Renjun gulps.

“Perfect! In that case, I don’t need to introduce you two any further. Why don’t you work out the details together?” She suggests. “Renjun, send me another copy in a week or so with the adjustments. I’m expecting great things from you both.”

* * *

Jeno probably should’ve stopped smiling like five minutes ago, but he’s too excited as they step out into the bright sunlight. He never expected to see Renjun a second time, at least not this soon. The other boy had been absolutely charming that one night, even while jet-lagged, returning each of Jaemin’s playful quips with cracks of his own. Jeno hasn’t ever seen a stranger spark such genuine interest in his boyfriend, and if he hadn’t so fortuitously come across Renjun today, he definitely would have quietly requested Jaehyun for another get-together. Jaemin wasn’t the only one who was unconsciously drawn to him.

“Jeno, I thought you were a business major?” Renjun’s query breaks Jeno out of his memories, and he really can’t help the rush of satisfaction from his classmate actually remembering such an offhand detail.

“Yes, but I’ve always had an interest in game development,” Jeno explains, preening slightly under Renjun’s attention. “Professor Song’s been so much help, especially because I’ve been learning programming on the fly these past few years and I’m really spotty on a lot of the basics.”

Renjun continues staring. “You’re _self-taught_ ? Good enough to impress _Victoria Song herself_?”

Jeno’s smile turns bashful. It figures that Renjun wouldn’t bat an eye at Jung Jaehyun, heir to a multibillion enterprise, in the flesh, but instead be amazed at his dinky gaming addiction. “I just enjoy playing games a lot,” he confesses. “I’ve been playing Heaven’s Fury since middle school, and every time I log in, I still get the same sense of excitement I did when I first created my character. It’d mean a lot to me if I could create a game that evokes the same kind of joy in others.”

Renjun’s pace slows. “That’s ambitious of you,” he replies, but he’s gazing off into the distance, and Jeno doesn’t take offense. It’s not dismissive the way most people react whenever he explains his passion, but speculative, like he’s actually considering how Jeno’s ambitions could pan out.

Jeno walks in silence as Renjun continues to be lost in thought, taking the time to secretly admire his classmate. The bounce of his damp hair (did he shower earlier?) is ridiculously endearing, and Jeno itches to card his fingers through the drying strands. He wonders if Renjun knows how beautiful he is. For once, the stares they’re getting as they cross campus aren’t solely because of Jeno himself, and he’s both pleased that he’s not the center of attention but bothered that Renjun has been thrust into the spotlight like this. 

Jeno knows the reputation his close circle of friends and family have, and he’s always hated the gawking, but he’s surprised at how protective he feels over someone he, for all intents and purposes, barely knows. He chalks it down to Renjun’s soothingly sharp wit and the strangely familiar lilt to his Korean. His first impression was that of a trustworthy person, and Jeno hasn’t experienced anything to prove otherwise.

An errant breeze tousles through their hair, causing Renjun to shiver. Jeno’s brain catches up to his hands just as he’s finished wrapping his scarf around Renjun’s neck, the boy in question off-guard and staring at him. Jeno clears his throat softly in embarrassment, flashing an awkward smile at the silent question on Renjun’s parted lips. 

“You looked cold,” he replies to Renjun’s chin, a bit too flustered to actually face Renjun’s skittish expression. “You can give it back to me later.” Jeno’s reluctant to stop fiddling but finally forces himself to step back. Renjun is adorable, all swaddled in brown wool and polite indignation. 

“So are you just headed home now?” Jeno smoothly interrupts before Renjun can try to make him take his scarf back. He’d love to walk the other boy back to his dorm, if it meant they could spend more time together, but Renjun shakes his head, successfully distracted.

“I actually have to go run a few errands- oh shit I’m late!” Renjun’s eyes widen as he checks the time. “Let’s set a meeting time for the project later, and I’ll give you your scarf back, too!”

Jeno watches amusedly as he bolts. He’s looking forward to seeing Renjun again. For now though, there’s someone he needs to call.

* * *

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow at the caller ID flashing on his screen. Well, this was a rare occurrence. He picks up immediately.

“Hyung.” Even through the scratchy speakers, his dongsaeng’s voice is unmistakable. 

“Well, if it isn’t my little brat-in-law,” Jaehyun drawls, thankful there’s no one around to see the genuine smile on his face. “You never call me hyung unless you want something.”

A scoff resonates through the phone. “ _Soon-to-be_ brat-in-law, and that’s only if you finally work up the courage to propose,” Jeno reminds him petulantly, but there’s no real ferocity behind his words. They’re both on the competitive side, and sometimes that leads to play-fighting over a certain lawyer’s affections, too. “Anyways, can I have Renjun’s contact info?”

“ _Oh_?” Jaehyun drags the word out. Now there’s a name he hadn’t been expecting in today’s conversation. “Cheating on Jaemin already?”

Jeno snorts again. Really, he doesn’t know how the younger’s convinced the world (Doyoung) he’s an obedient little angel. Jaehyun assumes it’s helpful that Jaemin is always nearby to out-sass his boyfriend.

“Believe me, Jaemin would want his number just as much as I do.” And Jaehyun believes it. He saw the way Renjun had passed Jaemin’s perfunctory onceover. Jaehyun’s not stupid, he knows what those two have been up to every time the vultures circle a little closer. He’s grateful for them, even if they should know by now that he can fend for himself. But the fact that Jaemin (and Jeno, to an extent) had actively drawn Renjun into the conversation so often that night had been telling in its own way. Jaehyun was pleased with all of them, Renjun for proving his instinctive recognition of a kindred spirit correct, Jaemin and Jeno for keeping open minds when meeting his new mentee.

“But I need his number for the Glory project,” Jeno continues on the other end of the line. “He’s working on some fancy processor that Professor Song thought would fix some of our encoding problems. She’s willing to let us present a demo at the spring symposium if everything works out.” Jaehyun lets out a low whistle. That’s a big gamble, but Victoria Song was never one to take unnecessary risks. This was a loud declaration of her confidence in her students, and a feeling of pride rushes through Jaehyun on Jeno’s behalf.

“I’ll text you his number,” Jaehyun replies, mind wandering to his thesis again. “You couldn’t have asked him yourself?”

“He ran off before I had the chance to ask.” Jeno’s pout is almost audible. Jaehyun laughs.

* * *

Renjun certainly isn’t laughing now. He’s running late, and it’s all Jeno’s fault. Renjun had no trouble losing track of time around his fascinating classmate, to the point that he doesn’t know if he’ll make it to the electronics store before they close for the day. But as desperate as he is to get a new graphics card before the update drops, Chenle might actually kill him if he doesn’t deliver this package. Except, he’s not sure he’s even in the right place.

Renjun stares at the house, no, _mansion_ he’s arrived in front of. Checks his phone. Goes back to staring up and up and _up_. There’s really no room for sprawling estates when they’re still this close to Seoul proper, but the regal townhouse is stiffly elegant in a way that makes him wonder if anyone actually resides there, especially a mousy teenage boy Renjun’s only met through Skype and seen a handful of pictures of. Chenle might not look it, but he could be possessive sometimes, and Renjun’s pretty sure he himself is ranked lower on his cousin’s favorites list than a Korean boy he’s never met in person. 

Renjun half-expects a butler to open the door when he knocks but instead, it’s… Jaemin? Na Jaemin, from a night that’s felt more like a hazy pipe dream than something that actually happened. Na Jaemin, who regards him now with the same focused gaze, surprise in his brows and trademark beam. Na Jaemin, who hadn’t bothered to hide the possessive curl of his fingers on Jeno’s knee, who has definitely noticed _his boyfriend’s scarf_ around Renjun’s neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so! thoughts? questions? plans for renjun's funeral? let me know what you thought :) 
> 
> many thanks as always to jessica for handling my terrible work ethic and messier first drafts! i start school again soon but i'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible~
> 
> next up: some conversations, some realizations, and a whole lot of red bull


	4. Chapter 4

For one wild second, Jaemin is terribly disappointed that Renjun has also turned out to be a stalker. It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s followed him home to try god knows what. _You wouldn’t mind a stalker as cute as this one_ , some snide voice remarks in his head. _Shut up_ , retorts the part of him still eyeing his surprise visitor. But no one should have known that Jaemin was back already, and Renjun visibly looks as confused as Jaemin feels, glancing back and forth between his phone screen and the door. Before Jaemin can stop his polite gawking, a lanky weight thuds into his back, sending him tripping into the doorjamb.

“Hyung, did you get the door? Who is it?” His absolute beanpole of a brother peeks over his head, aided by the ten extra inches Jaemin swears he’s grown in the last week alone. “ _Renjun-hyung_?” Wait, what.

Jaemin continues to not process anything as Jisung tugs Renjun into their house, nervously chattering all the while. Apparently, _this_ is the cousin of the infamous Lele, his little brother’s precious online friend (Jaemin could recognize a crush from a mile away).

It truly is a small world, Jaemin continues to muse as he watches Renjun foist a package off on Jisung, one that has him lighting up bright red before scurrying upstairs to put it away. Renjun’s smile fades from something wide and familiar to a grin that’s shyer and a little awkward now that he’s alone with Jaemin, who burns with curiosity about the extent of the Chinese boy’s acquaintanceship with his brother. In a way, he’s almost irrationally jealous of the easy banter the two had traded as they walked in. Jaemin craves that familiarity for himself, but he knows the single night of conversation they shared is only the start of a bridge he has to continue building.

“So what did Chenle get my baby brother that has him all aflutter?” Jaemin addresses his yearmate, smiling invitedly.

“Ah, it was a special edition Rubik’s cube,” Renjun stammers, tugging at the scarf around his neck unconsciously, drawing Jaemin’s attention. He had noticed it earlier, a familiar warm brown thing he had struggled to finish knitting in time for Jeno’s birthday, a tangle of fabric he had last seen on his boyfriend’s own neck.

“Oh? Did you see Jeno today?” Jaemin asked pleasantly. He distinctly remembered looping it around Jeno’s neck himself just that morning, using it as a convenient handhold to tug his lover in for a kiss before he came home. He does wonder about the sequence of events that led to it landing itself in Renjun’s lap instead.

Renjun yelps, tugging the scarf off and all but tossing it at Jaemin. “I’m so sorry!” He apologizes, as Jaemin spits out a mouthful of wool. Truly, Renjun’s aim was spectacular. “He gave it to me earlier today and I had to leave before I could refuse it,” the Chinese boy confesses.

Jaemin carefully smooths out the scarf, rubbing his palms over the slightly ragged stitches even as he flashes a reassuring smile in Renjun’s direction. “Sounds like Jeno,” he agrees. “So you’re in the same class as him then?”

Renjun looks confused for a second before realizing. “Oh, no, I’m not in Professor Song’s class, but she’s my faculty sponsor, and she wanted us to combine our projects,” he explains, fidgeting nervously.

Jaemin looks up, mild surprise in his eyes. “You’re going to work on Glory with us?”

Renjun tilts his head in confusion. “Oh, is that what it’s called? I don’t know much about it yet, but it sounds,” he sighs, shoulders slumping gently, “so impressive.” He looks down shyly, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Jeno told me a little bit about his ambitions and background, and he just sounded so passionate, I admire him for it.”

Jaemin leans back in his seat, lips curling up slightly. It’s surprisingly pleasant to hear Renjun compliment Jeno like this, and Jaemin wonders at his own appreciation when he normally disapproves of the admirers his boyfriend unwittingly amasses. Before he can agree with an increasingly flustered Renjun, whose brain has finally caught up with his words, Jisung comes clattering loudly down the stairs, a small box in his hands that he quickly shoves at Renjun.

“Here, hyung, for you.” Jisung beams mischievously. “You should open it now.”

Renjun laughs, nimble fingers quickly untangling the lopsided ribbon, but his face falls in horror as he opens the box. “No, you didn’t,” he bemoans, face turning pink as Jisung snickers in the background.

From his perch on the couch, Jaemin watches Renjun unbox a computer mouse before burying his face in his arms while Jisung howls in laughter, unable to hold it in any longer. The gift is one of the newer models on the market right now, a gaming mouse that Jaemin himself prefers to use, too. As Renjun gets up to throttle Jisung, a holographic inlay gleams in the afternoon light. The gaming mouse has been customized, with an engraving of a little cartoon on the body. Jaemin squints at it. Is that a hippopotamus?

Renjun shakes his head furiously as he keeps Jisung in a chokehold when Jaemin asks. “No, it’s Moomin.”

Jaemin stills. “Moomin?”

Renjun sighs, letting Jisung go as the younger wheezes dramatically. “My username in Fury is MoominLover, because I made the account when I was like 12,” he mutters to the ground, embarrassed. “I never changed it, and my brat of a cousin keeps making fun of me for it. It’s kind of an inside joke.” He shifts uncomfortably under Jaemin’s surprisingly intent stare. “Umm…?”

Jaemin blinks, seemingly snapping out of a trance, and offers another smile to Renjun, although there seems to be a different emotion in his eyes. “It’s a cute username,” he offers pleasantly enough, but his voice rings with more honesty than the statement should carry.

Renjun doesn’t really understand, but dips his head in acknowledgment of the compliment. “I, uh, I should get going, I still have to catch the bus. Thank you for having me over, though.”

“Are you heading back to campus now? I can drive you,” Jaemin suddenly offers, startling Renjun, who tries to refuse.

“No, I have to drop by the electronics store to pick up a few things, and I don’t want to be a bother-”

“No, please, I insist,” Jaemin interrupts, smiling gently. He waits patiently by the door as Renjun and Jisung say their goodbyes, lost in his own thoughts. Who would’ve thought? That the friend he and Jeno had lost all those years ago would end up on his doorstep like this, that the new exchange student they both wanted to get to know would be the first love they never forgot. He quickly sends a text to Jeno. _I found him._

* * *

Renjun finds this entire situation mildly terrifying, even though Jaemin hasn’t said anything since they started the car, beyond asking where he should be driving them to. If being alone with Jeno was like a soft warmth rising gently in his heart, being alone with Jaemin was the direct opposite, electric tingles down to the tips of his fingers. He’s still wary of Jaemin misunderstanding about Jeno’s scarf, but, he reasons to himself, Jaemin would’ve been much less welcoming if he had truly minded. Unless he’s driving Renjun to his demise now, of course.

“Anything in particular you’re picking up from the electronics store?” Jaemin’s softly voiced question infiltrates Renjun’s increasingly paranoid thoughts, and he subtly shakes his head to clear his mind, although he still notices Jaemin’s amused smile. He’s been caught.

“Ah, just a graphics card,” Renjun explains hastily. “Mine’s not really up to snuff, especially with…”

“With the server updates for Fury coming out?” Jaemin interjects gently, eyes trained on the road.

Renjun glances at him. “You play, too?”

“I do,” Jaemin confirms, gaze darting to Renjun and away again. “On one of the international servers,” he adds meaningfully.

Renjun lights up, missing Jaemin’s emphasis completely. “Me, too! I used to play as a kid, and those servers seemed so much cooler at the time.”

“So you’ve been playing since grade school? That’s pretty impressive.”

“Ah, not exactly…” Renjun trails off, thinking of his childhood. “I used to have some really good online friends, but we fought, and, well, it just wasn’t as fun to play without them,” he confesses, a little confused as to why he’s so forthcoming with a casual acquaintance, but Jaemin seems to take it all in stride. He steels himself against oversharing about why they had fought, though. There are some things he doesn’t want to revisit at all, let alone with someone he’s only met twice.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that,” Jaemin steers the conversation smoothly away to a different topic, as gently considerate as always. “Maybe we can play together someday?”

Renjun thinks for a moment. “I’d like that,” he replies honestly. His roommates are fun, but he can’t deny his curiosity about Jaemin’s avatar, his gaming preferences, just anything that would help him get to know him better.

Jaemin smiles in satisfaction. “It’s a date.”

Renjun chooses to ignore that statement and any of its possible implications, deciding instead to ask something that he’s been wondering since they left the house. “So Jisung is your brother?” They don’t look anything alike, although the sibling affection they shared was nice to see, something Renjun had always wanted as an only child himself. Despite the influx of cousins that he saw at every major family gathering, it was still different.

Jaemin nods. “My stepbrother actually, since our parents got married just a few years ago.”

Renjun hums in understanding. “I don’t talk to Jisung often, so I had no idea.”

Jaemin glances at him out of the corner of his eye, flashing him a smile. “It’s alright, I was just a little bit surprised, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting to see anyone the day I flew back into town, especially not at my parents’ home.”

“You were out of town?”

Jaemin struggles to contain a proud expression. “I have an internship with a Formula 1 team, and it’s an amazing honor to be able to shadow their pit on the Grand Prix tour, but it means that I do have to fly out of the country every weekend.”

“That’s… amazing,” Renjun answers honestly. Moving to Korea had already been a huge challenge for him; he can’t imagine being in a different timezone almost every week. “I don’t know how you keep up with that.”

Jaemin shrugs modestly, pulling into a parking space. “It helps that I’m not supposed to be taking any classes this semester.” Before Renjun can finish unbuckling his seatbelt and gathering up his things, Jaemin has already opened his door and is waiting for him to step out of the car. He arches an eyebrow at the behavior, but doesn’t comment.

“And are you? Taking classes this semester?”

Jaemin’s ever-present smile widens. “Of course. I’m a bit of an overachiever: in classes, at work...” He gives Renjun a slow once-over, gaze returning to meet Renjun’s eyes with a little something more behind it. “...With love.”

* * *

Jaemin’s eyes haven’t left Renjun’s figure the entire time he browses through the store’s selection of graphics cards, this he knows. It’s more than a little distracting, especially with how expensive these things were, but Renjun refuses to turn around and check for himself. He’s not as intimidated by Jaemin anymore, especially when the other has shown him nothing but kindness and interest, but there’s a different thrill slowly rising up his spine now.

It doesn’t take Renjun long to pick out what he needs, and he spends a little longer than he should drifting through the other aisles, letting his fingers trail across fancy gadgets he doesn’t need but enjoys eyeing anyways.

Eventually, he reluctantly checks out, making to leave the small store to find Jaemin already waiting for him, on the tail end of a phone call, paper bag in his other hand. Seems he’s made a few purchases of his own while Renjun wasn’t looking.

“...don’t have it either, but, oh Renjun’s here now, I’ll let him know.” Jaemin winks at him, phone still up to his ear. “Mmhm, see you tonight, babe. Love you too. Bye.”

Renjun shifts uncomfortably at the casual affection, mentally berating himself for his vague thoughts about a taken man, but he doesn’t have much time to ruminate on that either before Jaemin is opening his car door for him again. “Thanks.”

Jaemin smiles, answering his unspoken question. “That was Jeno. He said something about having to get your number from Jaehyun because you ran off so quickly?”

Renjun flushes, remembering. “O-oh. Oh no.”

Jaemin laughs. “Don’t worry, it’s completely alright. May I also have your number then? We _are_ going to be coworkers, too, after all.” He hands Renjun his phone and the bag he was holding, which Renjun promptly puts between his knees, presuming that Jaemin just hadn’t wanted to keep it in the backseat. “Oh, sweetheart, no, that bag’s for you.”

Renjun’s fingers still across the screen of Jaemin’s phone. “What?”

Jaemin tilts his head coyly. “It’s not fair that Jisung had something prepared for you and I didn’t, hm? Just consider it a token of my thanks for taking good care of him and Chenle all the years you’ve known him.” He shrugs lazily. “Or a bribe to get you to join me and Jen for dinner sometime.”

Renjun murmurs his flustered thanks as he fumbles with the packaging, the wrapping revealing an expensive headset, so far out of his budget he hadn’t even looked in its direction. “Oh my god, Jaemin, you shouldn’t have.” He makes to hand the bag back over, but a gentle hand around his wrist stops him.

“Please, I insist,” Jaemin demurs smoothly. “Use it when you game with me in the future? I think you’ll look very nice in it.” Renjun glances down at the packaging of the _cat ear headphones_ and promptly flushes up to the roots of his hair.

“A-alright, if you say so.”

The remainder of the drive back to campus was relatively peaceful, although Jaemin once again refused to take Jeno’s scarf from Renjun no matter how much he pleaded. “You wanted me to stop treating you, Injunnie,” Jaemin singsongs cheerily, mock-saluting Renjun from inside the car.

“Guess you’ll have to find a way to return it to him yourself, hm?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a while, hasn't it? hopefully the next update won't take as long T_T life has been rather cruel to me lately, so we shall see

**Author's Note:**

> the plot bunnies always hit when i have physics exams huh
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/hurricane_ivy) and [cc](https://curiouscat.me/hurricane_ivy)


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